


Mind Games

by KoutaDragara



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: AU, Gen, One Shot, Scene Idea for a Potential Future Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25374622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoutaDragara/pseuds/KoutaDragara
Summary: BLU's new Alpha Engineer has an unfortunate encounter with the RED Alpha Spy, giving her a good taste of just how out-of-her-depth she really is. (This is a random scene from a personal AU, please read the notes for context. :') I'm just posting this because I thought it came out interesting on its own.)
Kudos: 1





	Mind Games

**Author's Note:**

> Some information you'll probably want to know before reading this:
> 
> \- This is set in an AU I've had in my head for a few years now called Alphaverse (though I'm up for a name change; I'm a bit worried this name might make people think this is a certain other type of story :') ). The main detail is that there's more than 9 mercenaries. A LOT more, in fact. On both teams, the mercenaries are split up into one of five different squadrons (one member of each class per squadron) depending upon skill level, with Alpha being the best-of-the-best (all of the canon mercs are Alphas, split between the two teams) and Epsilon being the least-skilled.
> 
> \- Catherine was a member of BLU's Beta Squadron and has just been promoted to the Alpha Squadron due to the previous Alpha getting terminated. She's finding out just how big of a skill gap there actually is between the Alphas and everyone else (I suppose you can sort of think of the Alphas as top-tier comp players and the Betas as pub stompers, MAYBE low-tier comp), so she's kinda been thrown into the thick of things without too much instruction. Thus, cue the poor woman making lots of mistakes and getting her ass kicked around as she finds everything out the hard way.
> 
> \- The Spy here is the canon Spy (who, BTW, is named Lucien).

Catherine had managed to find a secure location inside of a small shack, the nearby opening making it an excellent place to stop any REDs attempting to push back into their territory through the main path. She set her toolbox on the ground with a huff and began to nudge it into just the right place for a sentry.

A flat spot of dirt with no big rocks to disrupt balance, far enough away from the archway to make return fire awkward, turned at the optimal angle to minimize targeting time…

_There._

She grabbed her construction PDA and tapped the first button in a line of four, prompting the toolbox to unfold as the central constructor unit came to life with a hum and began piecing together the desired structure from the appropriate parts. Within seconds, the primary rod had been inserted snugly into the tripod stand and topped with the blue ammo drum, the sensor light beside the muzzle flicking on while the hydraulics calibrated.

The sentry froze for a moment as its system completed the initial startup, and she felt a slight smile tug at her lips as it began to scan back and forth. Her muscles relaxed at the sound of the machine’s rhythmic beeps, her mind able to better focus on other matters as the constant reminder of its reassuring presence faded into white noise.

She retrieved the toolbox and the parts remaining within it and carried behind the sentry, this time preparing to build a dispenser in the corner it guarded.

“So this is BLU’s new Alpha Engineer,” crooned a male voice, the words hitting her ears like a snake slithering over her hand.

Goosebumps crawled across Catherine’s skin as she turned her head, her legs frozen in place. There was no doubt in her mind that the voice had come from a Spy, the seemingly empty room behind her only serving as further evidence, and she had a fairly strong estimate as to which one it was.

He chuckled darkly from somewhere behind her, sending a shiver down her very exposed spine. “Still not quick on the draw, I see.”

Something in his comment finally spurred movement from her, though she didn’t know whether it was the implication of her lack of skill or the reminder of how much danger she was in. She threw the toolbox down and whirled about on her heel, pistol drawn and brandished in front of her. “Seems like you might be slackin’ a bit yourself, hon.” She took slow and deep breaths, but there was little point in attempting to save face. He _absolutely_ knew how afraid she was. “Wouldn’t think a good Spy’d waste his time talkin’.”

Another laugh, though this one seemed more amused. “ _Au contraire_ , Engineer. No matter how skilled he may be with his weapons, a Spy who kills quickly and without thought is an amateur at best.” As she listened, the source of the voice seemed to be moving closer to her. “A truly _good_ Spy knows how to properly engage with his quarry.”

The smell of smoke finally hit her nose, and she knew he was _far_ too close for comfort. She began to fire her pistol, sweeping her arm to her right and emptying her clip in a blind assault. The room echoed with the sounds of her shots and the hollow plunking of bullets striking wood, but still no sign of the Spy.

Dammit.

“You’re not getting rid of me _that_ easily,” he gloated, his amusement at her expense sending a wave of heat across her face.

Catherine took several steadying breaths as she reloaded, never taking her eyes off of the room in front of her. “So. Cat ‘n mouse is your thing, huh?”

There was a moment of silence accompanied by her sentry’s continued unaware beeping, as if he had taken a moment to think over her words. “In a way, I suppose.” He then cleared his throat. “Now. As I was saying before you… _interrupted_ me…”

She couldn’t help but snort at how unamused he sounded with the last two words, as if her little Hail Mary of a Spy-check had insulted him.

“A good Spy knows that he has much more to gain than the simple satisfaction of killing. He knows how to watch and listen… To study his enemy so that he knows them and all of their little… _quirks_ like the back of his hand.” He gave a brief, thoughtful hum. “Learns to know them even better than they know themselves.” She couldn’t help but feel that he was pacing back and forth, waiting for just the right moment to pounce.

“From there, he learns how to manipulate and deceive them. He learns what secrets they hide from the world, learns how he can… take advantage of them.” A dark chuckle rumbled in his chest and Catherine, unaware that she had been steadily moving backwards, nearly yelped when her back made contact with the wall behind her.

His laugh told her that her flinch had been as visible as she had feared.

“This, _petite souris_ , is what a good Spy enjoys most.” His words dripped with venom and trailed off into a soft hiss. If he had decloaked at that moment, she wouldn’t have been at all surprised to find herself faced with a great, black snake instead of a Frenchman in a red suit. “The fear in your eyes, that quivering little pistol aimed at nothing… It shows us both just how far ahead of you I am.”

She forced herself to continue staring straight ahead, gripping her pistol so tightly that she should see the knuckles of her ungloved hand turning white. “It just shows me that you’re a coward,” she said. “An honorable man wouldn’t hide behind that damn watch and play mind games.”

“A person who values honor is little better than a _child_ , expecting everything to be _fair_ and _easy_ ,” he spat back. “Honor cripples you, makes you weak to those who have already realized its uselessness and _crushed_ it beneath their feet.” He seemed to realize that he had raised his voice and took a moment to compose himself. “So no. I am not honorable. To be honorable is to be a poor, little fool like you.”

The next moment was little more than a flash of chaos to Catherine.

The whooshing sound of the Spy as he decloaked, the crackling hiss of a sapper on her sentry, and her sentry’s blaring beeps of distress seemed to hit her all at once as her pistol was knocked out of her hands and something shoved her forward. Before she could regain her balance, she felt herself being pulled back and onto her toes by an arm wrapped around her neck.

“Think of this as your first lesson, Engineer.” The Spy spoke directly into her ear, the smoke from his cigarette making her attempts to breathe even more difficult. The blade of his butterfly knife pressed against her neck beneath his arm, perfectly poised to end her current life. “Make sure you remember it well.”

The cold steel sliced across her throat and he let her collapse unceremoniously to her knees, one hand numbly palming the cut as her blood flowed down her chest.

She just barely caught a red flash in the corner of her eye as she fell onto her side. She watched through rapidly darkening vision as a perfect replica of herself knelt beside her, grabbing her head and turning it upwards.

“Well, I hope you have a nice Respawn, hon.”

Catherine could only manage a twinge of disgust before the twisted, smug visage of her doppelganger faded into nothingness.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave any critiques you may have, I'm sure it needs them.
> 
> Translation Notes:  
> "Au contraire" = "On the contrary" (obviously)  
> "Petite souris" = "Little mouse"
> 
> This is through Google Translate, please correct me if I'm wrong.


End file.
